Learning to accept the inevitable change we call life

People change, businesses come and go, and as we all have experienced we don’t remain in peak physical fitness forever.

When you allow yourself the space to anticipate the uncertainty that is life, you allow yourself options. By turning rigidity into flexibility prevents ourselves from getting tossed and turned by strong emotions like fear, anger, surprise, and disappointment. Although we are all likely to continue to feel these emotions they don’t have to control us anymore.

One of the most effective strategies I have used over the last year is called “negative visualization”. Most people are familiar with positive visualization most commonly abbreviated “visualization”. In positive visualization, you imagine everything you want to go right. Best case scenario type of thinking. What job you want, what type of house you want to buy, who you want to marry, etc.

In the past, as I practiced “visualization” I often became disappointed or discouraged because I didn’t get the things I wanted. That was until I heard about negative visualization.

With negative visualization, you practice the opposite. You imagine worse case scenarios and what you would do if that happened. What if I got sick? What if I lost my house from a hurricane? What if I got in an accident and lost my leg? This stoic practice has allowed me to manage the fear and anxiety of any situation before it even occurs.

This stoic practice has allowed me to manage the fear and anxiety of any situation before it even occurs.

The best part about this practice is that I find myself much more consistent with my mood because I have learned to be happy regardless of the situation. It has taught me to accept the inevitable change we call life.